Centrifugal amalgamator.



P. WEEKS MCCOLLOM & C. 0. HASKELL. CENTRIFUGAI. AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19. 1915'.

Patented J an. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

P. WEEKS, C. H. McCOLLOM & C. 0. HASKELL.

CENTRIFUGAL AMALGAMATOR.

APPLlcAnoN min APR. 1,9. |915.

'1,21 l ,0&1 9. Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v PAUL WEEKS, oE Los ANGELES, CHAELES ANGELES, cA

.metals will not ENEEEE srAfrEs EAEENE -oEEroE O. HASKELL, OF :LOS

E. MccoLLoM, 0E PASADENA, AND CHARLES LIEOENIA, ASSIGNoEs 'roCENTEIEUGAL MACHINERY COMPANY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATIONOF CALI- FORNIA.

CENTRIFUGAL AMALGAMATOR.

Application led April 19, 1915.

To all/whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, PAUL WEEKS, CHARLES R. MoCoLLoM, and CHARLES OHAsKELL, citizens of the United States, said PAUL VEEKS and CHARLES O.HAsKELL residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles and' State ofCalifornia, and said CHARLES R. MoCoLLoM residing at Pasadena, in thecounty of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new anduseful Centrifugal Amalgamator, of

which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to devices of the character disclosed in thepatents of Charles O. Haskell, for metal separating apparatus, datedJanuary 21, 1915, No. 1,148,771, and for amalgamator, dated January 21,1915, No. 1,148,770.

An object of this invention in common with an object of said formerinventions is to separate precious metals from their ores in minimumamount of time and with minimum loss of said precious metals. ln this asin said former inventions, the ore is fed into a rotating inverted bowlor drum so that the heavier particles of the ore will tend to be thrownby centrifugal action to' the outermost portions of the bowl chamber orpassage, the effect of the bowl construction being to somewhat retardthe ore particles, in their passage to the amalgamating trough which islocated at the largest diametral portion of the bowl. In this way theheavier ore particles containing the precious be thrown radiallyoutwardly in a plane directly into contact with the amalgamating agentas in other centrifugal machines but will more gradually seek theamalgamating agent So that the largest possible amount of the preciousmetals and the particles containing the same' will come into contactwith the amalgamating agent to i form an amalgam.

An object of this invention in contradistinction to objects of saidformer inventions is to so construct the device as to retain all of theamalgam in the amalgamating trough, while the machine is running.

Another object is to so construct the device that the ores will becaused to pass through the device without it being necessary to providea pump for that purpose.

Another object is to so construct the device that a' low head willproduce all the pressure Specification of Letters yatent. p

Patenten aaai a, ier?.

Serial No. 422,234.

that is necessary to cause the ores to pass through the device.

Another object is to so construct the device that it will in itself actas a pump to cause proper flow of the material through the device.

Another object is to facilitate removal of the amalgam from the device.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention: A

Figure 1l is a side elevation of a centrifugal amalgamator built inaccordance with the provisions of this invention. Fig. 2 is a verticalmid section on line indicated by :c2-m2, Fig. 1, only a portion of thebracket being Shown. Fig. i3 is a plan view on line indicated by :n3-m3,Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a plan section on liner indicated by @e4-m4,Figs. 1 and 2, the outer wall of the bowl being partly broken away forclearness of illustration. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the valve,the bushing and portions of the hub and shaft being in vertical midsection. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental plan view of Fig. 2. f

There is provided a drum substantially in the form of a hemisphericaldome or bowl comprising two sections, an upper section having outer andinner walls 1, 2 spaced apart from one another to form a hemisphericalor bowl-shaped passage lower section having an outer annular wall 4 andan inner annular wall 5 spaced apart from one another toreceive betweenthem the rim 6 of the inner wall 2. The upper section is provided withan inlet 7 communicating with the passage 3 and said inlet is connected,by a hollow Shaft in the form of a supply tube 8, to a pulley 9 whichmay be driven by any suitable power to effect rotation of the bowl. Thehollow shaft 8 is concentric with and rotates inside of a stationarytubular member 10 provided at its opposite ends with antifrictionbearings 11, 12 for the shaft 8. The tubular member 10 has its upper endinserted in and is supported by a horizontally extending bracket 11provided with bolt-holes 12 for fastening by bolts, not shown,structure, not shown. The pulley 9 v1s provided with a hollowrectangular hub 13 to form an inlet 14 communicating with the hollowshaft 8. y

The upper and lower bowl sections are to a suitable supporting hingedtogether at l and the lower section" 1s provided with pins 16 to pivotlatch bolts accommodated in slots 18, 19 in theupper and lower sectionsrespectively of the bowl. The upper and lower sections of the bowl maybe locked together by a suitable lock 2Q located diametrically oppositethe hinge 15, the latch bolts 17 being located diametrically pppositeone another between the hinge and ook.

TheA wall 4 slants outwardly anddownwardly to form an annularamalgamating trough 2l at the greatest diameter of the bowlcommunicating with the passage 3, there being an annular outlet 22between the rim 6 and lower edge of the trough, the bottom of the troughbeing of greater inside diameter at its lower edge than at its upperedge. The inner wall 5 of the lower section projectseinside .of theupper section and the rim 6 of the inner wall of the upper sectionprojects` below the level o f the inner wall 5 of the lower sectionadjacent the trough 21 and-between said trough and inner `wall of thelower section. By this construction, when the machine is running,choking of the machine is avoided and the metalliferous mal terial iscaused tosweep across the surface of the amalgamating agent in thetrough 21 and keep the surface clean and free from refuse, thusymaximizing the amalgamating effect. The outlet 22 opens yinto' anannular basin v23, the rim 6 being nearer the outer rim of the basin andspaced apartfrom the inner rim of the basin so as to`form a free annularpassage 24 from the basin into. the inside expansion chamber 25 of theupper. section. The inner rim of the basin joins .the wall 5 whichextends up above the of the rim 6 and into the inner chamber 25. Theannular wall 5 forms an outlet 26 from the expansion chamber 25 to theexterior of the amalgamator at the bottom thereof.

level flhere are provided between the outer and inner walls l, 2, aseries of curved`blades or vanes 27 to` aid in properly distributingoutward and downward the me'talliferous material flowing through thepassage 3.

The square hub 13 may be provided with suitable valve means and in theinstance shown in the drawings said valve means are constructed asfollows: The hub 13 is provided interiorly with a rectangular blushing 28 formingat its lower edge a valve seat 29 and is provided at its lowerpart with pins to pivotally mount a pair of oppositely arrangedcentrifugally-operated flap valves having longer arms 31 and shorterarms 32, the 'longer arms when closed together in the dotted positionshown in 2 extending aslant upward toward one another with `theirbeveled ends 31 abutting one another to close that portion of lthe inlet14 between v the valve pivots, and the shorter arms extending aslantdownward away from one another with their beveled ends 33 engaging thevalve seat 29 so as to close that portion of the inlet betweenthe-bushing walls and pivots. The arms 3l 34 formed by a pin extendingtransversely of the aXis of the bushing. vSaid valves when open in theposition solid lines in Fig. 5 rest against stops 35 and are spacedapart from the bushingA walls sufficiently to leave passages 36 betweensaid valves and walls so that the metalliferous material will notbecomewedged behind the shorter arms of the valves and prevent said valvesfrom closing. Each shorter valve arm 32is provided with a weight 37 toaid in holding the valves in closed position when the hub is stationary,said weight, however, together with the weight ofthe arms 3l is overcomeby centrifugal force acting on the longer arms when the pulley isrotated by power transmitted thereto as by a belt, not shown, thusopeningthe valves. The wall 1 is provided at its rim with a bead 38'inwardly overlapping the rim'of the Wall 4 so as to avoid leakage at thejoint between the sections of the bowl, and if desired, packing 39 maybe employed to further insure against leakage at said joint. f

In practice assuming that the amalgamating agent c has been placed inthe basin 23, Fig. 2, the pulley 9' will be driven and the metalliferousmaterial to be operated on will be passed in a pulverized, crushed orpulp condition into the inlet 14 and past the valves which have beenopened by the action of centrifugal force and thence through the hollowshaft 8 into the upper end ofthe passage' 3. Centrifugal force willthrow the material -outward and downwardmnd the flow of the materialwill be somewhat retarded by reason ofthe friction between said materialand the walls,

more kespecially the outer wall l of the upper section, and also betweenthematerialand the vanes 27 tially all of vthe'heavier metallicparticles and metal bearing particles to work to the outer periphery ofthe moving columnxof material. The material working downward in'a hollowcolumn, the heavier metallic par ticles and metal bearing particles atthe pemay rest against a stop shown in Fig. 2f and in thus giving timefor substanriphery of the column come into direct contact with theamalgamating agent in the trough 21and are amalgamated and retained insaid trough while the lighter particles constituting the sludge passdownward through'the outlet 22 into the basin 23 and are crowded upthrough theannular passage L24 over'theI upper rim of the wall 5 and eX-pand into the inside expansion chamber 25 and thence gravitate downwardand out of the machine. After such interval of time as experience andpractice show to be sulicicnt for combining the precious metals and theamalgamating agent to form an amalgam by the usual key, not shown, bolts17 will be thrown out of commission vso as to allow the lower section ofthe bowl to swing downward to a vertical position, thus allowing all ofthe amalgamated material to iow into and be held by the trough 21. Thenthe lower section will be swung backward and upward suiiiciently far todump the amalgamated material from the trough 21 into a suitablereceptacle, shown.

It is noted that the centrifugally and gravitationally operated valve isan important feature of the invention for it affords automatic means toshut oif the flow of metalliferous material to the machine, if from anycause, as for instance the breaking of the driving belt, the drum ceasesto rotate. The valve thus insures against any amalgam contained in themachine from being washed out of the machine if the machine ceases tooperate in`` the prescribed way.

From the foregoing it is clear that by the use of this machine themetal-bearing material is caused to rotate downward -in a hollow column,and an amalgamating agent is caused to surround the lower portion ofsaidcolumn to amalgamate the metallic particles at the periphery of thecolumn; also that centrifugal action is set up in the metalliferousmaterial to cause the material to flow outward toward an amalgamatingagent, and at the same time the outward flow of the material is-retardedso as to facilitate segregation of the heavier particles at carried outby the machines without other shifting of the outer portions of themoving material before said material reaches the amalgamating agent. l

The process outlined above is not claimed herein and is substantiallythe same nas that disclosed in the hereinbefore mentioned prior patentsin which said process is notlaimed, said process being the subject ofthe copending application of Charles O'Haskell for .process ofamalgamation, filed April 19, 1915, Serial No. 22,216, said Charles O.Haskell being the sole inventor of said process.

What we claim is:

1. A centrifugal anialgamator comprising a rotatively mounted doublewalled bowl formed of upper and lower sections free from interlockingoverlap so as to allow downward movement of the lower section parts, thelower section having anannular trough and the inner wall of the lowersection projecting inside of the upper section and the rim of the innerwall of the upper section projecting below the level of the inner wallof the lower section adjacent the trough, and means to rotate said bowl.

l 2. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising a rotatively mounted doublewalled bowl not - gin than at its upper margin,

formed of upper and lower sections free from interlocking overlap so asto allow downward movement of the lower section without other shiftingof parts, the lower section having an annular trough and the rim of theinner wall of the upper section projecting below the level of the innerwall of the lower section adjacent the trough, and means to rotate saidbowl.

3. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising a bowl formed of upper and lowerdouble walled sections hinged to one another and free from interlockingoverlap so as to allow vdownward movement of the lower section withoutother shifting of parts, the inner walls being spaced apart radially andoverlapping axially, and means to rotate said bowl.

4. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising two separable sections, theupper section having a bowl-shaped passage and an inlet to said passageand having an expansion chamber, and the lower section having an annularbasin and an annular wall extending up from the inside rim of the basininto the expansion chamber, the walls of said sections being ree frominterlocking overlap so as to allow downward movement of the lowersection without other shifting of parts, and means to rotate saidsections.

5. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising two separable sections free frominterlocking overlap so as to allow downward movement of the llowersection without other shifting of parts, the upper section having abowl-shaped passage and an inlet to said passage and having an expansionchamber, and the lower section having an annular trough communicatingwith said passage and with the expansion chamber and having an -outletfor the expansion chamber,l the inner wall of the passage extendingdownward to within a slight distance of the level of the lower margin ofthe trough, and means to rotate the sections.

6. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising two separable sections free frominterlocking overlap so as to allow downward movement of the lowersection without other shifting of parts, the upper section having a.bowl-shaped passage and an inlet to said passage and` having anexpansion chamber, and the lower section having an annular troughcommunicating with said passage and with the expansion chamber andhaving an outlet for the expansion chamber, the inner wall of thepassage extending downward to within a slight distance of the level ofthe lower margin of the trough and said trough being of greater diameterthan thegreatest diameter of the upper section and of greater insidediameter at its lower marand meansy to rotate the sections.

7. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising vided at its two separablesections free from interlocking overlap so as to allow downward movementof the lower section without other shifting of parts, the upper sectionhaving spaced apart walls toform a dome-shaped passage and having aninlet to said passage, and the lower'section having an annular wallforming an outlet and having a curved wall forming a basin, said annularwall being spaced apart radially from the rim of the inner wall of theupper section and the inner wall of the upper/section terminating overthev basin at the greatest diameter of said inner wall, and means torotate one of said sections away from the other section.

1l. A centrifugal amalgamator comprisfrom interlocking over- L ing ado-wnwardly and outwardly expanding double walled bowl-shaped member, an

8. A centrifugal amalgamator comprisingfannular-trough at 'the greaterdiameter of a rotatively suspended hollowv shaft, a double walled bowlsuspended from the shaft, the inter wall space communicating with thebore of the shaft, a second bowl section suspended from the first bowlsection and free from interlocking overlap therewith and adapted to beopened downward therefrom, and means to rotate said shaft.

9. A centrifugal amalgamator comprising two sections hinged vtogetherand free from interlocking overlap so as to allow downward swing of thelower section without other shifting of parts, one of said sectionsbeing-double walled and provided with an inlet and being provided withan expansion chamber communicating with the inter -wall space, and theother section having an outlet from said expansion chamber, a hollowshaft connected to the inletya tubular memberv surrounding said shaftand proopposite ends with bearings for said shaft, and a tubular member.

10. .A centrifugal amalgamator` compris# ing a double walled bowl-shapedupper section, a lower section having inner and outer annular walls andhaving'a-n annular vbasin connecting said annular-walls to one anothersection fastened to and bracket to suspend the the outer wall ofthebowl-shaped member, the rim of the inner wall of'said bowlshaped memberextending almost to the level of the lower margin of the trough andthere terminating, and an annular -basin just beneath the rim of saidinner wall.

12. A centrifugal' amalgamator comprising a downwardly and outwardlyexpanding double walled bowl-shaped member, an

annular trough at the greater diameter of the outer wall of thebowl-shaped member, the rim o-f the inner wall of said bowlshapedmemberextending almost to the level of the lower margin of the trough andthere terminating, means f rming. a discharge out- 'let from the spaceinside of the bowl, and a hollow shaft to rotatively suspend thebowlshaped member and having its bore communicating with the inter-wallspace.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles,this 9th day of April, 1915.

Ill-presence off- LoRA VM. BownRs, L. BELLE WEAVER.

California,

